Eight minerals your body needs

Eight minerals your body needs

What are the minerals that your body absolutely cannot do without? Dr Yogesh D of Healthcaremagic.com lists out!

Dietary minerals are the chemical elements required by living organisms, other than the four elements carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen present in common organic molecules.

Minerals are small inorganic elements and are indestructible like other nutrients and vitamins.

Calcium, phosphorous, potassium, sodium, chloride, magnesium and sulfur are known as macrominerals and are usually required in amounts more than 100 mg per day as they are present in higher amounts in body tissues.

Calcium

Calcium It is the most abundant mineral in the body with 99 percent deposited in bone and teeth. It helps in development of bone and teeth.

It also helps in blood clotting, nerve conduction and in metabolism of vitamin D.

Eight minerals your body needs

It is essential component of thyroid hormones. Sea foods and vegetables grown on iodine rich soil are good sources of iodine. Iodine deficiency causes Goiter. Lack of iodine cal lead to abortions, still births, congenital anamolies.

Image: Yogurt is a good sources of dietary iodinePhotographs: Courtesy Gud2Eat.com

Eight minerals your body needs

It is essential for connective tissue formation, iron metabolism, melanin synthesis and utilisation of oxygen. Sources of copper are sea food, meat, legumes. Deficiency of copper leads to anaemia, discoloration of hair and skin.